Social

Three things …

The deputy Headmaster at my school , John Swanepoel, usually gets to take assembly on Friday mornings. During assembly, the whole school meets up in the hall and then we give through announcements, and then we sing the school song before we go to break time.

On 31 July he gave an opening address that really inspired me and I want to recap what he said here today and add a few thoughts of my own.

It is on Three Things …

Three things that never come back

Three things one must value in life

Three things that may never be lost

Three things that are never certain

Three things that once lost, is impossible to fix

Three things that can destroy you.

John is a coach and every year he gives the following advice to the rugby players: Three things you as player must always have

Get the ball and keep possession,

Keep moving forward

Have support.

In life we need to work hard for what we want, and then we have to work hard to keep what we have. If you stop working on it you can loose it very quickly. This works in relationships, in faith, in possession, in most aspects of our lives actually. We also need to move forward, stagnation leads to boredom and that leads to getting into trouble. And have support of your family, your friends and colleagues. Or else you may end up like me , dropping the ball and having to face an uphill battle to fix the problem.

Three things that never come back :

Time

Words spoken

Opportunities

At this very moment I am sitting in my Life Orientation classroom with one of my grade 9 groups. They have decided that education is not important. We are currently working towards getting the rights subjects to take for the next year, but this class feels it is not important. The time is running out. This period will never be available again tot get this information. My words to them is silence, because if I say anything right now, I will regret it later. I am so angry and disappointed at them. And lastly, the opportunity to have someone give them good advice is now lost. They can find it themselves.

Three things one must value in life:

Self-confidence

Friends

Love and acceptance

Self-confidence can often be misinterpreted by individuals and fall into the arrogance level. Arrogance can get you into a lot of trouble. But having confidence in your abilities, and working with it, can open many doors for you. This is where the support of your friends will be needed. Surround yourself with positive people that you can work with. And lastly, we all crave love and acceptance. Unfortunately many people are trying to find theses things in all the wrong places. Love means sacrifice and hard work, not just a moment of pleasure and being accepted will give you peace of mind.

Three things that may never be lost:

Peace

Hope

Honesty

War always lead to loss. A war of words, a clash of wills, it takes away the peace we feel. But in times of peace everyone wins, everyone can grow and thrive. When hope is lost, life has no meaning. Hope keeps us going when all else is lost. But honesty… oh boy, even the smallest lies gradually breaks down our reputation and our integrity, and that leads to corruption on large scale. Like what is happening in South Africa every day. Some people simply find it impossible to be honest.

Three things that are never certain:

Dreams

Success

Fortune

Fortunes comes and goes. Being successful now does not mean you will be successful tomorrow, one wrong move and you can loose it all. Dreams change.

Three things that once lost, is impossible to fix:

Respect

Trust

Friendship

Not much to say here… if its lost its lost, glue cannot put it back together to the way it was before. It may be functional, but never again something beautiful and precious.

Three things that can destroy you:

Alcohol and drugs

Pride

Anger

Alcohol is the best solvent in the world. It can dissolve your marriage, your house, your bank account, your integrity, your job. Pride comes before the fall. And anger… speaking in anger will help you make the best speech you will ever regret (Ambrose Bierce).

“In your anger do not sin“: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. Ephesians 4:26